


And So It Begins

by Original_Robin



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Homelessness, Kinda, Lin Beifong is a good person, Orphans, Police, Pre-Canon, Republic City, Triple Threat Triad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 16:30:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10994676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Original_Robin/pseuds/Original_Robin
Summary: The story of how Police Chief Lin Beifong meets two orphan street rats and what happens from there.





	And So It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> This idea just popped in my head and refused to leave, so here I am. I've read a few other stories on the same concept of Lin meeting the Fabulous Bending Brothers long before they could be considered fabulous, but I am not satisfied, so I'm writing my own. Usually I'm a huge grammar nazi, but this is unbeta'd and written all at once in a fit of inspiration, so if you find absolutely any errors, feel free to call me out. 
> 
> One more side note, I know it's canon that they adopted *cough,cough*stole*cough,cough* Pabu at 15 and 13, but I'm changing that because I think he's adorable and want him in my story, sue me. 
> 
> Enjoy! Or don't, whatever you feel like.

Lin knew it was going to be a rough day. This knowledge has nothing to do with the spiritual mumbo-jumbo that Tenzin always tried to feed her, but on hard fact.  
Fact, due to an excess of paperwork and her own stubbornness to finish, she had gotten a lot less than her usual 5 hours of sleep. Not entirely uncommon, but inconvenient nonetheless.  
Fact, upon waking at the crack of dawn anyway, she found that her favorite, and strongest, tea was out of supply. And now I gotta go shopping, too, she thought.  
Fact, she would need to go to the market after work. Never was much the domestic type, that one.

It was with these facts on her mind that Lin left for the station, thinking of what else would increase her already growing headache. She didn’t live all that far from the station, though far enough to have a small house with no yard, so she almost always walked. The only reason she lived as far away as she did wasn’t because she particularly cared about having a house instead of an apartment, but because of what was underneath. Her own private gym, not as nice as the ones used to train officers, but, as previously stated, private. 

By the time she got to the station, the city was beginning to awaken, workers heading to officers, shops opening their doors, stalls already being set up, just another day. As she walked to her office, exchanging nods with some of the less annoying officers, she decided to detour to the file room to turn in the paperwork directly, since she wasn’t quite ready to sit down and do more paperwork and the walk would take just a minute if she went past the cells. Nothing was so important as to need her attention right this second and it was always nice to watch the prisoners flinch as she walked by. It was as she was walking and watching them out of the corner of her eye that she caught sight of something that made her stop and really look. In one of the cells, on the cot in the back corner sat a child, wearing ratty dark clothes and a large red scarf he appeared to be drowning in, so that only above the arch of his nose was visible, including narrowed golden eyes that glared at her suspiciously. After working on the force for so long, she knew the look of someone living on the street. He looked ten, though she didn’t give that much stock considering malnourishment and that she couldn’t tell how tall he was from how he was sitting. After that quick look, she grabbed the next officer to walk past, some rookie she didn’t know the name of.

“Why is there some little kid in a cell?” she asked tersely. Probably stole some food, needs some by the looks of it, but then he should’ve been transferred to an orphanage where he wouldn’t have to steal to eat. She half expected him to protest being called a little kid, as most kids do, but he simply continued glaring silently.

“He’s a firebender, caught him stealing from a street vender, Chief,” He replied in only a slightly frightened tone. So she was right, not too surprising, but that didn’t explain why he was still in a cell. He continued, unknowingly answering her unasked question, “He’s been seen hanging around the Triple Threats, so Detective Bao kept him detained to see if we can get any information, but he hasn’t said a word,” he said, gaining confidence in being able to point the finger at someone else.

Not a big shock that he’s mixed up with a triad, it’s not exactly uncommon. There are plenty of kids desperate enough to take whatever food or money or thrill where they can get it. Bao she does know, a good metalbender and a decent detective, one of the many working cases to deal with the triads. She also knows that he’s desperate for a break in his, which explains why he went for such a longshot. However, looking back at the kid’s watchful eyes, she wouldn’t actually be surprised if he’s seen or heard something he shouldn’t have. Well, it’s better than paperwork.

“We’ll see if I can change that. Prep a room for me and him. And bring this to the file room,” she ordered, thrusting the bulging manilla folder into his arms and turning toward the interrogation room, already striding away by the time the rookie reorients himself and rushes off to obey.

Five minutes later, and the gray-haired woman finds herself having a very intense staring contest with the across from her, who, as the officer promised, did not say a word. The silence is broken when she figures he’s shaken up enough from spending the night in a cell, which was definitely Bao’s plan, and she asks her first question, starting it off easy, “What’s your name, kid?” It comes out more gruffly than she means it to, but, hey, story of her life, isn’t it? The kid continues his apparent vow of silence for a moment, then, either because he deems the question safe to answer or because he’s scareder than he’s letting on, the boy answers, “Mako.” His voice is slightly deeper than she imagined, but not enough to have completely gone through puberty, so she was probably right about him being a bit older than how he looks. 

“How old are you?” she asks anyway, because she never was one for guesswork. He’s silent again, seeming to consider the pros and cons before answering, “Twelve.” 

Right again, what else is new. He may look younger, but the calculating look in his glaring eyes is much too old for a twelve year old. Then again, at that age her own mother invented a completely new form of bending and the avatar, who was the same age, end the war, so she probably shouldn’t be so surprised. She continues on asking easy questions, waiting for him to let his guard drop a little, “Why’d you steal food from a street vender?” she asks, even though looking at how skinny the kid is, the answer is pretty obvious. It takes less time for him to reply this time, “I was hungry,” and a small shrug. Full sentences now, progress.

She continues avoiding the topic of the triads until he loosens up some more, though she doubts how much that’ll help since he obviously knows after overhearing her and the other officer. “What about your parents, or relatives that can take you in, or an orphanage?” she asks, even though she already has a solid guess. “Dead four years ago, just my little brother, and they tried to separate us,” He answers almost immediately, though he’s still glaring with that calculating look in his eye. As she expected, though the brother part is a surprise and she stores that away for later.

The chief is getting bored of this and figures this is as relaxed as he’s going to get, so she goes for the kill. “And what are you doing messing around with the Triple Threats?” she asks, wondering if she’ll get an answer. The boy pauses, though not for long, before he replies, “Like I said, I was hungry.”

Once again, completely unsurprising, but he answered, so it’s a start. She continues, “What do you do for them?” He pauses again, though not as long as last time, “Get bets, pick up food, whatever they tell me to do.” 

“And when you’re running these errands, do you hear or see things that you weren’t supposed to see or hear?”

She didn’t noticed how his shoulders had started to droop so that she could almost see the top of his mouth until they shot back up, tensing, bunching his scarf up again. He doesn’t even reply aloud and just shakes his head instead. Lin thinks she might have lost him completely, except she still has one more trick up her sleeve, “So you said you had a brother? How old is he? He a bender like you?”

He eyes her, still suspicious, but now curious, wondering what her play is, before giving a slight nod and answering, “Ten, earthbender.” Mixed family, explains why the Triple Threats instead of the Agni Kais, at least. Looking at this kid, Mako, looking him in the eyes, she can believe he’s survived on his own at eight, that he kept his six-year-old brother alive. He’s got the look of a survivor, a look that says I will do whatever it takes, no matter what. It’s because of that look that Lin knows she can get him to turn, if only she can convince him it’s in his best interest, and she already has a plan to do just that. He could’ve let he and his brother be separated and his life probably would’ve been a lot easier, but he didn’t. She may have a terrible relationship with hers, but that doesn’t mean she’s stupid enough to underestimate the power of family.

“And does your brother help run errands?” she asks. His eyes are still narrowed and his scarf bunched up around his face, but he replies, “Sometimes.” 

“You said you do whatever the Triple Threats tell you, is that the same for him?” His eyes narrow even more, but she doesn’t give him time to answer before going on, “How long do you think before you two are doing more than just getting bets or picking up food, until you’re collecting debts or fighting in turf wars?” 

The way he looks at her, she can tell he’s had these thoughts before, probably often, but that also means he already has the justifications ready, having recited them to himself more times than he can count. “What else do you expect us to do? Let them separate us? Go back to dumpster diving and picking pockets? Not everyone is the kid of a war hero.”

The answer is expected and she has her reply ready. “Listen Mako,” she starts, using his name for the first time, “I know you’re just doing what you have to to take care of yourself and your brother, but if you help me, I can get you out, for good, and you won’t have to worry about the triads or where your next meal will come from anymore.”

He huffs out a laugh without any amusement and replies like he’s just humoring the fantasies of a child, “Oh, really? And how are you gonna do that?”

She lets out a huff of her own and answers, “Yes, really, I can keep you two safe and find a home willing to take in a ten and twelve year old, together.” 

Solid evidence that she’s right about him, where most would jump at the chance, he looks at her with unveiled disbelief and suspicion and questions, “How exactly? Triple Threats don’t take betrayal lightly, and they have eyes everywhere. And what information do you think I have that’s worth all this?”

So there is a dirty cop working Zolt. She had her suspicions, but it’s nice to get confirmation. Time to put all the cards on the table. “It’s not what you know, but what you will know. We already know they’re about to make a move on the Red Monsoons, you find out when and where and bring it back to me, then I’ll keep you two in my house if I have to.”

He just looks at her for awhile, eyes calculating, weighing the pros and cons. The boy know what his brother would want to do, can see his puppy dog eyes looking up at him as he begged, oh please please please, but he can also see Lightning Bolt Zolt looking down at him, Don’t do something stupid, kid, and then the two mixing as Zolt proves his namesake and Bolin won’t be giving any puppy dog eyes anymore-

Mako continues to look at the chief, considering one more time before replying, “Fine, I can do it, but on one condition.”

Lin raises an eyebrow and feels a bit of grudging respect for the kid before asking, “What is it?”

“You take my brother now, to your house, like you said.” She had meant that jokingly, but they could really use this bust and if that’s what it takes, how hard can it be to babysit? She can’t exactly blame the kid either, it’s not like even Zolt himself would dare attack her house, even if the kid is alone there.

“Alright, fine, I’m going to the market today. You know the restaurant the Waterlion?” She waits for him to nod before saying, “I’ll pick him up from there at closing time. Get him a hat or glasses or something, just make sure no one can recognize him and I’ll take him to my house from there.” She grabs a marker from her pocket and holds out her hand. Mako obligingly gives her his hand so she can push his sleeve up and write an address on his forearm. “The second you find out what I wanna know, you come back here. If I’m not here, go to that address, it’s where I live. I think you’re a smart enough kid to know it would be a bad idea to tell anyone about this little deal, right?” she asks, even though she’s quite sure he’s serious about this. She may not be able to read heartbeats like her mother, but she has always been good at reading people. Mako, for his part, doesn’t seem insulted by the question and simply gives a curt nod before asking, “What now?” 

Lin stands up, opens the door with a flick of her wrist, and then answers, “Now I let you off with a warning. Come on, kid.”

**Author's Note:**

> And there it is, first chapter! Bolin, Pabu, and others will appear next chapter, no worries. Also, yes, Lin will be adopting the boys eventually, not finding some family, but sshhh she doesn't know that yet. I will most likely get the next chapter up by the 30th, but until then, bye!


End file.
